Gone with the gully in igboland/erosion is taking over Anambra

Nkama Ude, Edda LG chairman




By:
 IKENNA EMEWU, Abuja



Date:
Fri, 07/27/2012 - 19:00

Every Nigerian knows that erosion menace is the major terrorism in the South East of Nigeria. The list of towns in the five states of the South East geopolitical zone with threatening erosion problems stretches every year. No state in the region is exempt from this terror. But while the case in Edda might not have been invented into singsong like those of Nanka, Ekwulobia, Nnewi or Isuikwuato, the clan of 11 communities has more than a modest share of the menace.
 
The entire land surface is dotted and perforated with erosion sites. On the average, each of the 11 communities has more than two terrible erosion sites. A visit to Edda, a land that is naturally blessed with wondrous topography of high peaks and flatlands would convince you that in the entire nation, it has one of the worst cases of environmental degradation, no thanks to gully erosion.
 

The nature of the land makes it prone to heavy water run-off after every rainfall. And in this part of the nation, rainfalls come in heavy torrents. So the lush green canopy of foliage that once sustained peaceful landscapes and rich agricultural fields are turned to a hue of scarified and lacerated surfaces. There is an open and gapping earth sore in every direction you turn.
 

That makes the conclusion of the chairman of the Afikpo South (Edda) Local Government Area Erosion control team apt. The head of the team that has an odd job of raising the awareness to salvage Edda from the grip of erosion terrorism, Mazi Okoro Agwu told Daily Sun that if the 24 erosion sites dotting the entire Edda land surface were consolidated in one spot, one third of the entire land surface would be gone.
 

As the skies shed tears in rainfall, so the Edda man complements with his tears in weeping and sobs. When rain clouds gather, the hearts of the people sink and if possible they would pray that there would be no more rains.
 

During a visit to Edda, Daily Sun inspected so many of the sites that are located within residential quarters and farmlands. But the worst of them is just within the local government secretariat at Nguzu. When slim erosion rivulets started tearing through the loose earth at the valleys between Nguzu and Ekoli, just at the back of the local government premises, some 20 years ago, the council saw it as just a minor issue that deserved no attention.
 

But with time, the strips of gullies that held little volumes of run-off widened like cancerous growths into a ravine that steadily caved in under every higher volume of erosion. Today, even the state after inspecting the sites admitted that her annual budget channeled at the site won’t make any impact. The force got stronger with time and the menace enlarged until it got a grip of the premises. Like in an ambush, the gully took over the entire space and in turns it swallowed the structures in the LG office one after the other.
 

Because the council officials can’t contend with this terrorist, what they did was to simply pick their leftover belongings and shift base to a safer haven within the same town. For about two years now, erosion has sacked the Edda LG council, banished them into exile and it operates from such refuge camp.
 

If the council cannot stand the scare, what would an individual do? As the government where it started could not resist it, gulleys forked out their tentacles and took the entire land by storm (sorry, flood)
 
Homes are gone, schools, hospitals, farmlands, access roads and others are all victims and human beings who don’t act on time to vacate a threatened home go down with the flood and landslide.
 

On August 4, last year, the LG chairman, Hon. Nkama Nkama Ude summoned a SOS body from among the natives where he briefed and showed them the extent of the erosion menace and challenge confronting the Council headquarters. He explained the efforts made by the Council and how it spent over N7m recently to keep the gullies at bay. But the amount is like a drop of water in an ocean. “It cannot fix the smallest of the erosion sites, but that is all the poor council could afford”, Agwu the erosion control chairman explained.
 

The erosion committee team has eleven members drawn from the autonomous communities and includes even top government officials. Senator Soni Ogbuoji, representing the Ebonyi South district in the Senate is a member. And the plight of the team combating the menace is bad as the menace it plans to beat – there is no adequate fund to match words with action, therefore, it has done just a little in raising the awareness.
 

The government of the state is aware of the threat and the council chairman said it has duly informed Governor Martin Elechi and the Environment Ministry in Abakaliki, which in turn brought the matter to the Ecological Commission in Abuja. Even the World Bank scheme on ecological control is aware of the threat. But there is no action yet. As you read this story, the floods are still at work tearing further into the heart and peace of Edda land.
 
“Between August 18 and October 18, 2011, the committee met 12 times and carried out several visitations and interactions on/with relevant government agencies. After the first two meetings, the committee embarked on identification/visitation of the affected places. Twenty- four such sites were spotted.
 
“The Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Paul Okorie on September 2, 2011 visited all the identified erosion sites. The camera coverage of this visit was very extensive and compelling. He was so moved that he promised adequate attention in the World Bank erosion intervention. After the visit a tender has been duly published and the erosion sites at Iyiocha Nguzu and the local government headquarter were consolidated to make one of those to be handled in the first phase of erosion control in Ebonyi State.
 

We are hoping the promise by the government will yield dividends because apart from our awareness creation among the people on the preservation of the environment and the need to forestall further damage, there is nothing we can do to solve the problem. Only government intervention would assist us to tackle the sites and make sure the people are not phased out”, Agwu pleaded.
 The sites •Council headquarters, Nguzu •Iyiocha Nguzu •Nguzu/Ohafia Junction •Nguzu/Amaiyi (Double Corner) road •Catholic Church (Opposite the Council Headquarter) •Secondary Technical School Ekoli/Nguzu •Ugwuoba, Asaga Owutu •Amaebo, Owutu •Abiwere, Owutu •Udeazi, Owutu •Owutu Market •Akanu, Owutu •Ejikewu Primary School, Amoso •Ndi Ibiam, Ezi-Edda •Edda Women’s League Secretariat •Ogbarali Amagbo, Ezi-Edda •Ekoli/Okagwe  Ohafia road •Hardev Road, Ekoli •Egbebu Central School, Ekoli •Ofoke, Libolo •Ekoli/Ugwufie/Letu road •Amaigbo Road •Isiato, Amaigbo •Ogbu Village

Posted: at 28-07-2012 01:46 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

 

Posted: at 28-07-2012 02:28 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

 

Posted: at 28-07-2012 02:40 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

God you guys are such losers. You are laughing at erosion when desertificatio which is much worst and often permanent when it happens is a greater threat in the North. Ask your neighbors in Niger if crops do well in Sahara desert sand

Posted: at 28-07-2012 05:35 PM (11 years ago) | Newbie

 

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Posted: at 28-07-2012 08:11 PM (11 years ago) | Addicted Hero

ode with fake name,igbo 419  and fake names...........

Posted: at 29-07-2012 03:34 PM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

feeling headache can't read abeg brb to continue reading

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Posted: at 30-08-2012 03:56 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac